Living with melanoma

Melanoma is a skin cancer arising from pigment-producing cells. Your outlook and treatment depend on findings such as tumour thickness, ulceration, lymph-node involvement, and whether disease has spread. A biopsy report and staging assessment help the care team recommend the next step; a sentinel lymph node biopsy may be discussed in selected cases.

Treatment can include surgical excision or other skin cancer surgery. More advanced disease may lead to a conversation about tumour removal surgery or immunotherapy. These choices are based on your pathology, scans, overall health, and previous treatment rather than appearance alone.

Keep a written list of medicines, appointments, pathology results, and questions. Check your skin in good light, including scars and areas that are difficult to see with help from someone you trust. Tell the team about a changing mark, a new firm lump, persistent bleeding, or a sore that does not heal. Use shade, protective clothing, and sunscreen to reduce ultraviolet exposure, and avoid deliberately tanning.

Follow-up after cancer treatment is designed to detect recurrence, new skin cancers, and treatment effects. Ask what examination schedule fits your stage and treatment, and keep appointments even when you feel well.

Contact your melanoma team promptly for a new or changing lesion, a growing lump near the treated area, unexplained bleeding, persistent pain, or new swelling. Seek urgent care for severe breathlessness, sudden weakness, confusion, a seizure, or a severe allergic-type reaction during treatment. New neurological symptoms need immediate assessment because melanoma can sometimes spread to the brain.

Ask what your pathology and stage mean, whether lymph-node assessment is advised, which treatment goal applies, how often you need surveillance, and which symptoms should trigger a call. Ask how treatment may affect work, fertility, immunity, and other medicines.